Chapter 15

This time, it's the story from the perspective of Yuki and Natsuki, who ended up in a different place from Haruka.

Yuki closed her eyes in a hurry as a bright light enveloped her. After a few seconds, she cautiously opened her eyes to find herself in a street that reminded her of a back alley in Europe. ...I've seen this on travel shows on TV. I've never been abroad, though.

She let out a breath and looked around, meeting the gaze of someone standing next to her. Though their appearance had changed slightly, it was unmistakably the face of her friend.

"Is that you, Natsuki?"

"Yuki? --I'm so relieved. We're together."

Natsuki hugged her, looking relieved and on the verge of tears. Yuki hugged her back.

Since Natsuki had been sitting next to her on the bus, she had expected that Natsuki would be nearby. It was a good thing she had stuck with the nearby soul!

If she had been left alone in a place like this, she would have felt terribly lonely.

"I'm glad. I'm really glad... Is Yuu... not here?"

"Yeah... We were seated apart..."

Usually, Yuki, Natsuki, and Yuu spent a lot of time together. Natsuki and Yuki had known each other since elementary school, and Yuu had become a friend in high school. They had a good feeling for each other and quickly became close.

...But Yuu also spent a lot of time with Shou and Tomoya, so Natsuki was still the closest friend.

Grr! You lovebirds! Monopolizing two handsome guys! Explode!

"Natsuki? Are you worried because Yuu isn't here?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm fine."

Yuki shook her head hastily, seeing Natsuki's worried face.

Phew. That was close. I almost fell into the dark side.

But who is Yuu's main squeeze? I kind of feel like it's Shou...

"Hey, do you think Yuu's main squeeze is Shou or Tomoya?"

"Wh-What? Is that something we should be thinking about right now!?"

Oops, I guess not.

"Hmm, maybe Tomoya? He seems to be a bit more straightforward."

Natsuki, who still answered, is great.

"But isn't he a bit too straightforward? If it's someone you like, you'd be a bit more reserved, wouldn't you?"

I don't have much dating experience, but I feel like I should point that out.

"When it comes to the person you like, you'd be a bit more reserved, wouldn't you?"

"Right, it's the heart of a maiden... The heart of a maiden. ...Yuu, the heart of a maiden. Hmm? Maybe not."

Natsuki's expression became a bit awkward as she tilted her head.

Yuu is cute and has high girl power, but she doesn't really feel like a maiden to me.

At least, not in the way we know her.

More like a cool girl, the type who is popular with other girls.

Luckily, she gets along well with Shou and Tomoya, so not many of those types of girls come around.

"No, no, that's not it! We shouldn't be having this kind of girl talk right now!"

Oops, right.

"---No, no, I was just trying to get Natsuki to calm down, yeah."

"It didn't feel that way, but okay. More importantly, are there any other acquaintances nearby...? It doesn't seem like it."

After a quick look around, there were no acquaintances, not even any locals.

"Let's move to the main street and go into a shop to discuss things."

"That sounds good, but... is it okay?"

"Hehehe. Don't worry! I have [Common Sense of Another World]!"

I had 5 points left over at the end of character creation and thought it would be useful for intercultural communication, which is even more so in a foreign country, so I took it!

Thanks to it, I know how to behave without arousing suspicion and the prices at cafes... or rather, taverns.

"No, I think that's a good choice, but it's not that. It's the money."

"...Oh. Darn it!"

Knowing the prices is useless if you don't have money!

In this situation...

"Right! Let's sell something--"

"What, what are you going to sell?"

Natsuki spread her hands. Her clothes were a rough fabric, like what the locals wear, and she had no belongings.

At least she wouldn't stand out, but she couldn't sell anything from the original world to get funds.

"If at least our clothes were the same, we might have had a hand mirror or something to sell..."

"Pocket... Oh, Yuki, this clothes has something in the pocket!"

Natsuki held out a few coins. Yuki searched her pocket and found 10 of the same coins.

"These are large silver coins! So, we have about 10,000 yen, which should be enough to enter a tavern! The prices for regular food are cheap!"

A bowl of beef bowl would be about the price of a regular meal.

On the other hand, luxury items are very expensive.

The distribution system is not well developed.

"Then, let's go! Natsuki. Let's have a strategy meeting over tea!"

"---Wait a moment."

Just as Yuki was about to start walking, she was pulled back and stumbled.

"Is it really okay to just go into a tavern?"

"Well, with [Common Sense of Another World], I don't think we'll end up in a weird place or get ripped off."

"No, that's not it. It's the money. We only have 20,000 yen between the two of us. Can we make it until we can earn some income? We need accommodation and food, even if we endure the lack of clothing."

"...Right."

Even if accommodation and food are relatively cheap compared to the original world, 20 large silver coins would barely last 10 days, even with strict budgeting.

Just for accommodation and food, and if we need anything else, it would be even tighter.

After explaining this to Natsuki, she sighed deeply.

"This isn't the time to sit down and discuss things at a shop. We should talk at a safe place. This back alley is a bit unsettling."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, it's not that dangerous, but let's go to the main street."

It doesn't look like a slum, so it's not that dangerous, but there are few people around.

Yuki took Natsuki's hand and started walking towards what looked like the main street.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Right, let's start by discussing what skills we took."

"Sure, let's do that!"

It seems that the town they were transported to is a small port town by a river.

One side of the town faces the river, where a port is located.

The port is a bit away from the town, with a square-like area in between.

Probably a buffer zone for floods.

Yuki and Natsuki chose this place for their discussion.

They didn't want to be overheard, but going to a place where no one could see them was also unsettling.

Here, they could see if anyone was approaching, and they were visible to others.

If they sat down, it would look like they were just enjoying the view of the river, which wasn't suspicious.

Not a bad choice.

"So, how do we check our skills?"

"Well, people in this world don't recognize skills."

"...Huh? We took skills, right? Why not?"

"Yeah. According to my [Common Sense], it's because we transferred in the middle of our lives, and the evil god let us choose our talents."

There's no magic in the original world, and some skills here are useless.

If we were transferred with our original stats, those who excelled in sports would have a huge advantage over those who studied English, which would be useless here.

Maybe to balance this, we were given the chance to redistribute our abilities by taking skills.

"But that's a problem. I don't remember all my skills..."

"I remember most of mine."

Because of [Skill Copy], I couldn't take many.

"I... remember [Help] and about half of them... Wait, I see. I get it."

Natsuki suddenly said this, looking around and nodding.

I don't understand what she means by "I get it."

"What's up?"

"Yuki, you should say 'Status'."

"Huh? Why?"

I don't know that.

Why does Natsuki know?

"I took [Help]. It's a skill that gives you some advice--so, does that mean you didn't take [Help], Yuki!?"

"U-Uh, no."

Natsuki's face changed suddenly, and she said in a hurry.

Oh, it required 20 points and could only be used during character creation, so I immediately ruled it out.

Now that Natsuki can get advice here, it does seem convenient, but I have [Common Sense of Another World], so I don't need it, right?

"Yuki, listen. Some skills are really dangerous. You didn't take [Skill Theft] or [Skill Copy], did you?"

"..."

Perfectly.

What? Is this bad?

I have [Common Sense of Another World] and [Skill Copy], so I should be fine in this world.

I can protect Natsuki too.

Am I in a really bad situation?

Natsuki's face is very serious.

I can feel the blood draining from my face.

This is bad, I'm getting dizzy.

"Yuki, calm down. First, let's check your skills with 'Status'."

"O-Okay. 'Status'. --Huh?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: Yuki

Race: Human (17 years old)

Condition: Healthy

Skills:

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A status-like display appeared, but nothing was listed under skills.

"Hey, the skills aren't showing up?"

"...Huh? That shouldn't be... Huh? My skills also disappeared... and came back? A bug?"

At that moment, Yuki's skills also appeared.

It was like a website taking time to load.

Natsuki's also seemed a bit off, so maybe the connection to the god's network is slow.

"This might be... Then, the first thing we should do is... Yes. First, can you tell me your skills, Yuki?"

"Um--"

It seems we can't show the status screen directly, so I read it out.

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[Skill Copy] [Common Sense of Another World] [Magic Aptitude - Earth]

[Magic Aptitude - Fire] [Magic Aptitude - Water] [Magic Aptitude - Time and Space]

[Earth Magic Lv.1] [Toughness Lv.1] [Insight Lv.1]

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"Your skill setup is a bit questionable, but it doesn't seem to have any dangerous skills."

After Yuki finished listing her skills, Natsuki let out a relieved sigh.

Hearing that, Yuki also felt relieved.

If she had been told she had dangerous skills, she would have been truly despairing.

"I'm glad you didn't take [Skill Theft]. [Skill Copy] can be used depending on how you use it."

"Because theft is like being a thief. [Skill Copy] is a bit morally questionable, but it's better."

It does seem very convenient, but taking someone's effort and talent is still a bit...

[Skill Theft] required fewer points, so I was quite tempted.

"Good. Your conscience saved your life."

"Is it really that serious?"

"Yes. I'll explain later, but please don't use [Skill Copy], okay?"

"If it's that serious, I won't use it, but not now, later?"

If it's that serious, I want an explanation now...

"There are more important things to do first."

"Hmm?"

Yuki, influenced by Natsuki's serious face, responded seriously.

"First, we'll walk around the main street for about an hour."

"---What? Walk? Did I hear that right?"

"Yes, walk. I'll explain later, but can you trust me for now?"

It seems she wasn't joking.

Why is walking important in this situation?

If it wasn't Natsuki, I would have ignored it for sure!

"Got it. I'll walk with Natsuki?"

"Yes. While we walk, let's talk about the common sense of this world."

Encouraged by Natsuki's cheerful smile, Yuki and Natsuki ended up walking around the town for over an hour.

◇ ◇ ◇

---A certain man.

The moment my vision returned, I quickly looked around.

A square somewhere. A street that looks like it's from another world.

I hurriedly darted into a back alley and hid.

To rise in another world, the start is crucial.

Especially without being noticed by classmates, and how to do it skillfully.

Because, right?

Classmates with cheat skills are dangerous.

Especially [Skill Theft].

You can lose all the skills you gained with points.

I wanted [Double Experience Points], but I didn't have enough points to take [Skill Theft], and it's likely that someone else in the class would take it.

If I could steal it from them, there would be no problem.

Since appearance is also a skill, you can steal it to become handsome.

I don't understand why appearance is a skill, but since it can be taken, that's how it is.

That's why I used all my points to take [Skill Theft].

"The main target is probably my classmates. They should be nearby right now."

They almost certainly have useful skills, but as time passes, they might move to a different town.

I could steal from random people, but it's unlikely that a cheat skill like [Skill Theft] has no restrictions.

"Based on the explanation, it's possible that... there's a chance of resistance, and it can only be used once per person, or there's a daily limit?"

If that's the case, I can't waste it.

If I can't use it and run into a classmate with [Skill Theft], it's over.

I might lose all the skills I've stolen.

"So, the best strategy is to prioritize classmates."

They almost certainly have useful skills, like bonus characters.

Moreover, there might be a competition with other classmates, and they only appear once.

I want to find